Yes, we an academically selective coeducational Government High School, and one of only four academically selective high schools in the state.

Do you take year 7?

No, Nossal’s enrolment consists of Years 9 – 12 only.

Where do the students go for year 7 and 8?

Students should attend the most suitable school for their educational needs at Year 7. Applications for enrolment for Year 9 entry at NHS would be undertaken during student’s second year of secondary college (usually Year 8), not all students that apply for enrolment at NHS and sit the entrance examination will be successful.

After the exam how do I know if my child will be offered a place at Nossal High School?

Year 9 applicants will be emailed a letter of offer by Edutest, the select entry school enrolment administrators, in September.

Year 10 – 11 applicants will be offered a place by the Principal when a vacancy arises.

How many students come into year 9?

Nossal High School has a maximum enrolment of 208 students per year level.

Where is the test held?

The selective entry high school examination takes place at the Royal Exhibition Building, Carlton Gardens, Carlton, Victoria.

What date is the test held?

The examination is held in June each year. The dates for application and the examination are published at the end of February.

What is the difference for enrolment for years 10 and 11 as opposed to year 9?

Enrolment positions at Years 10 and 11 are limited as they depend on vacancies arising at the end of the previous year. Students interested in applying for a vacancy into Year 10 or 11 will need to sit an entry exam which will be held at Nossal High School during the previous year in Term 2 or 3. A waiting list will then be created and eligible students will be invited to attend an interview with the Principal should a vacancy arise.

Can my student enter half way through the year?

Nossal High School does not have mid-year enrolment opportunities.

Is the school zoned?

Nossal High School is zoned according to academic ability. Students who are Australian citizens or holders of a visa granting permanent resident status in Australia are eligible to apply for entry into a selective entry high school. This applies to students living in Victoria or those living and studying interstate or overseas.

Do you take international students?

Please see the answer to Question 12.

Citizens of New Zealand residing in Australia are also eligible to apply.

All applicants who are offered a place will be required to show original documentation, such as a Certificate of Evidence of Australian Citizenship, birth certificates or visas, before enrolment can be finalised. Applicants who do not meet residency requirements at the time of applying, but expect to meet them in the near future, are also able to apply.

These applicants will be required to show evidence that they meet all residency requirements before being offered a place.

Offers or enrolments may be terminated if a placement is made on the basis of false or misleading information.

What questions are in the test?

The entrance examination includes ability and achievement tests and takes approximately three hours to complete. In the examination your child will be competing academically with all other candidates. The entrance examination is designed to test and challenge students. Many students find examination day demanding and this should be taken into consideration by parents.

A series of six tests form the selective entry high school examination:

verbal reasoning

numerical reasoning

persuasive written expression

reading comprehension

mathematics

creative written expression

Four of the tests are multiple-choice, run for 30 minutes in length and do not include reading time. The two writing tests are 15 minutes each and also do not include additional reading time. Normally, a short 15-minute break is taken after the completion of the numerical reasoning test.

Additional reading time is usually introduced into exams when students are required to provide an essay-type response or where they have the choice to answer one question from a list. In this case extra time is provided to decide what question they will answer.

Prior to commencing each test, the administrator will go through three practice examples with the students to ensure they have an understanding of what to expect.

Parent payment contributions are set annually by the School Council. The school includes the cost of essential items, camps and excursions and optional charges in a single itemised fee for each year level which is paid either in full on or before the beginning of the school year, or by arrangement for an individual, confidential payment plan.

Can we go on a waiting list?

Only students who have applied for entry at years 10 & 11 are allocated to a waiting list. This will only occur after they have successfully sat the entry exam and a vacancy arises at these year levels.

We are fortunate to be close to public transport with the Berwick train station nearby and the public bus service which stops outside the front gate of Monash University.

There are many trains that run from Gippsland and Melbourne directly to Berwick. Local public buses within the City of Casey also run directly to Berwick train station. Please visit Metlink http://www.metlinkmelbourne.com.au/ to plan your journey. The attached document suggests a range of school travel options to Nossal High School.

What are the school hours?

School starts at 8.48am and concludes at 3.20pm every day apart from Wednesday when students finish at 1.20pm. This allows time for students to have private tuition, develop study groups with peers outside of school time or make appointments. During the Wednesday afternoon all Nossal staff are involved in professional development programs. Students are welcome to stay and use the school facilities at this time. Nossal has a 5 period daily schedule as well as tutorial time first thing each morning.

Can I take an overseas holiday or any holiday and come back after the 1st day of school or during school terms?

Nossal High School encourages the wealth of experiences and learning opportunities created by overseas travel and is sympathetic to family travel arrangements however, all students enrolled at the school are expected to be in attendance from the first day of school at the commencement of the new year and each term. Applications for individual exceptions to this rule must be submitted in writing to the Principal well in advance of travel arrangements.

Tours are conducted by the Principal and Assistant Principal. Bookings are essential and can be made through the general office.

How do I pay my school fees?

Parents are requested to complete payment for each year by the end of February or to make payment arrangements with the school. Payment options include: credit card (in person, by telephone or mail), cheque (made payable to ‘Nossal High School’), Bpay, EFTPOS, cash (during school hours only) and direct deposit. Please contact the general office to speak with the school Bursar to make a payment or installment arrangement to suit your circumstances should the need arise.

How can I make a financial or equipment donation to support the school?

If you would like to make a donation to the school, either financial or goods and services we ask you to contact school Principal, Mr Roger Page to discuss your offer.

Where do I get my uniform?

Uniforms can be purchased from our allocated uniform supplier PSW. They are located in Hampton Park, Unit 2/10-12 South Link, Dandenong South and Mount Waverley. Telephone 8768 7490.

Shop hours Monday to Friday 8.30am to 5.00pm and Saturday 9.00am to 5.00pm. Please refer to www.psw.com.au for full details required for the Nossal High School uniform. PSW has other outlets across Melbourne but may not have Nossal uniforms in stock, but can order them in for you.

How and when do I access the school booklist?

The school booklist is available online through our supplier partner Campion Education. Booklists for the following year are available in November. See our Booklist page.

What events and evenings are compulsory at the school?

All events are compulsory at Nossal. As a student of Nossal it is expected that you attend all events including Sports Carnivals, Assemblies, House Performing Arts Night, Speech Night as well as all subject information evenings, relevant Camps and Excursions.

When you accept a place at Nossal, you accept and participate in all things Nossal.

How do I contact my child’s teachers?

You can contact your child’s teachers by telephoning the school office on 8762 4600. Our reception staff will forward your call to the appropriate teacher’s extension. If the teacher is unavailable, you have the option of leaving a recorded message on their voice mail or calling back at a later time. Many teachers will provide email contact details to students and may also be contacted through the Nossal Digital Learning Portal, NEO.

What is the process when notifying the school if my child is absent for a day?

You should telephone the school absence hotline on 03 8762 4625 prior to 10.30am on the day of absence to inform the school that they are away. Please phone or email the school and leave a message for the relevant teacher if the student has an excursion, co-curricula activity, exam or other school assessment on that day.

If your child will be away for more than one day you should phone the school on 03 8762 4625 or email the attendance officer at absence@nossalhs.vic.edu.au and provide relevant details and/or a medical certificate. The attendance officer will forward your message to all relevant teachers. An sms messaging system is used to alert parents if their child is not in attendance and the attendance officer has not been notified.

Who do I contact for wellbeing and support for my child?

Nossal High School has a trained professional Wellbeing Team who will respond to students and parent’s needs. If you wish to make an appointment to discuss your child’s health and wellbeing, a change of family circumstances or other issues which may impact on their progress please do not hesitate to contact the Wellbeing team through the General Office on 8762 4600

How do I compete in interschool sports?

Students can compete in Interschool Sport (Team Sports) through signing up to their interested sports in the first week of school in term one. Students will then have training and teams will be selected by the appropriate coaches(teaching staff). For Individual Sports such as swimming, athletics and cross country, students will be selected based on their results in the House Carnivals.